Q: I remember in the past that when I connected and disconnected the power/sync cable from my iPad it made a sound and now it does not. Was this function a part of an iOS upgrade? I have looked everywhere in settings and cannot find one that affects it. It was a way to hear that the cord was disconnected as happens when it gets bumped when laying it down.

- Roy

A: The function hasn’t gone away, but it is part of the notification/alert sounds on the iPad and it is therefore possible that you may have inadvertently muted it without realizing it. Note, however, that a notification only sounds when connecting the Dock Connector cable; no sound is made when the cable is disconnected.

As with other iOS devices, the iPad distinguishes alert sounds—for things like mail and calendar alerts, clock alarms and incoming FaceTime calls—from audio such as music and video playback and game sounds. The hardware volume buttons control the standard audio playback and do not affect alert sounds, however there is a separate mute function that allows all alert sounds to be muted, including the Dock Connector notification sound.

Where this option is found will depend on how you have set the function of the side switch on your iPad, as defined in the General section of your iPad Settings.

If Use Side Switch to is set to “Mute” then the side switch is used to mute system alert sounds, and therefore when in the lower position the Dock Connector notification sound will be suppressed as well. If set to “Lock Rotation” then the mute function will be found instead at the far left side of the multitasking tray; simply double-tap the home button and swipe left to right to reveal the mute, brightness, playback and volume controls.

Tapping on the mute button will toggle mute off or on, which will be indicated by the icon within the button itself—a speaker icon when sounds are on and a speaker icon with a slash through it when alert sounds are muted. Remember, however, that this only mutes alert sounds and will not affect your normal system audio sounds which are instead controlled independently by using the volume slider here or the hardware buttons on your iPad.